If it is meant to be
by conversingraven
Summary: Years have passed. Not long after Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, the pack settled their differences and Jacob became Alpha. Sam is his Beta, with Jared is their third. Embry is still Jacob's best friend, and he's yet to imprint and refuses to get close to anyone outside of the pack out of fear he will endanger them. Unfortunately- READ CHAPTER ONE.. EMBRYxOC
1. Chapter 1

Years have passed. Not long after Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, the pack settled their differences and Jacob became Alpha. Sam is his Beta, with Jared is their third. Embry is still Jacob's best friend, and he's yet to imprint and refuses to get close to anyone outside of the pack out of fear he will endanger them. Unfortunately, the world has other plans for him and a girl he never thought he'd see again. When he runs into Lysandra out at a bar, she flips his world upside down and then some. The only problem? Embry isn't so sure that she feels the same way, despite no record of an imprint not going both ways in Quileute history.

Other info (will keep updated):

The pack is on good terms with the Cullen's because of Jacob and Renesmee; however, the land-rules still apply unless they are invited to each other's lands.

Jacob, Quil, and Embry are 20 now.

Aside from Jacob to Renesmee, Sam is imprinted to Emily, Jared is imprinted to Kim, Paul to Rachel (Jacob's sister), and Quil is imprinted to Claire (now age: 7).

Brady's (age 17, their youngest member-that they know about ;] ) parents still don't know about him

Brady's best friend Collin (age 17 second youngest member) still loves Leah.

Leah still does whatever the hell she wants and is rarely seen by the rest of them, and somehow manages to go weeks without shifting.

*** Please message me if you find any mistakes! I haven't read the series in a long time! :] ***


	2. Chapter 2

**Embry's POV**

Another day was passing by Embry in a blur, and he found himself wallowing in self-pity again, as he had been for the past few months. Things had changed so much in the four years since shifting had turned his world upside down. He clicked his phone off and slid it into his pocket, staring off at the wall as he did.

"Who did you just ignore man?" Quil asked, leaning his head on Embry's shoulder to see his phone. "I saw you ignore a call yesterday too."

Embry glared backward at his friend in annoyance. He'd ignored one phone call yesterday and one phone call today, and suddenly it was a thing. A thing he didn't want to talk about.

"Whatever, just gonna ask you later after we shift and I'll know," Quil shrugged and walked to the kitchen, carefully moving around Sam as he went.

Embry rolled his eyes. He had hoped that in time he would get used to the lack of privacy with his brothers, and sister (though he hadn't seen or felt Leah in over a week, which wasn't uncommon), but he hadn't. So, he didn't plan to shift later that night. He'd shift tomorrow after they went out for Paul's birthday when most of them were drinking, and there were other things on everyone's minds. And they'd all find something else to pay attention to anyways, especially with the holidays just around the corner.

"Probably just another girl that's obsessed with him," Seth called from the kitchen.

"I call bullshit on that," Sam chimed in, grinning at the television as he spoke. "Fucker hasn't touched a female in, how long, exactly?"

A while. A very long while. Embry thanked all of the stars in the sky that Emily and the girls weren't home. The last thing he wanted to deal with was her trying to set him up on yet another date with her or Kim's friends. He clicked the phone off as it began buzzing again.

"I don't see how I mean look at you, you're just so handsome" Quil teased as him and Seth walked back into the living room and threw themselves on the landed on Embry, who shoved him playfully backward and onto the floor. Seth cursed loudly but grinned and threw a few of the chips he'd been chomping away at toward his friends.

"Don't make a mess, it'll upset Emily," Sam said, his voice sharp. Sam was always

Emily. Emily. Emily. Everything in Sam's life revolved around her. Embry ate the chip that had landed on his lap bitterly. God forbid they upset her by making a small mess in her house.

"I think he's just afraid to imprint," Seth teased and threw another chip at Embry, who smacked it away, so it crumbled on the ground. Sam growled at them quietly, making Seth lean over and brush the broken pieces up the best he could.

"No, he's not afraid of that, he's just afraid of looooovvvvveeeee." Quil sang when Embry turned his glare to him.

"You know it's true," Quil continued. "But you shouldn't be. Imprinting on Claire was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I mean, imprinting doesn't mean you fall in love with someone, it just means they become, I don't know. It's kind of like that pack, I guess. We've all felt how you feel about us, how we kind of replaced the emptiness that was there before. We're family, and when you imprint, they become your family. Not just your family, everything."

Embry snorted. That was the problem. The pack was already his everything, and he didn't want another "everything" to add to it.

Wasn't he allowed to be selfish for once? After spending so much time protecting La Push from rogue vampires the past few years, he wanted nothing more than to be selfish. Plus, why would he want to put someone in danger like that? Emily's scars were proof that even if you loved someone more than the world itself you couldn't avoid putting them in danger, not with their forced lifestyle.

"Regardless, remember what Billy said? It can happen at any time. Even if he's met them before. There is no avoiding it. So, if he wants to force himself to suffer, then I say let him!" Seth grinned.

"If it ever does happen," Sam stood by the doorway skimming his gaze over his pack-members carefully, avoiding Paul's eyes as he did. "He'll understand. Even if it means falling in love."

Embry let out a noise that was a mix of a growl and a grunt, then pushed himself off the couch.

He strode toward the door and shoved past Sam, who growled quietly at him as he did. Pushing the Beta wasn't a good idea, but he was sick of them talking like he wasn't even in the had work anyways, and if he didn't leave, he'd end up late. And Mrs. Copenhagen hated when he was late. And he hated upsetting Mrs. Copenhagen, especially since when she retired in a few years she planned to let him run the bookstore for her.

Why couldn't they just let it go? He hadn't even spoken, and they just kept going. He was losing patience, and they all knew it.

That was actually the worst part; _they did know._

They knew that the fact that he was lonely was the reason for the way he'd been acting. He was the only ones among the older members-at least those who were out of high school and considered adults- of the pack that hadn't tried to date, anyone. That hadn't been an issue for so long, and he never thought it would be.

Then Paul married Rachel, so the two of them were still stuck in a honeymoon stage that had no end in sight, and Rebecca did nothing but encourage the two them to have kids. So of course, they were trying.

Then Emily had announced to them all that she was three months pregnant last month. And of course, her freaking hormones had her and Sam shacked up for hours on end, and Sam was constantly thinking about it. CONSTANTLY.

Jacob and Jared were just as bad with their significant others, if anything, worse because the entire pack knew that Jared was going to purpose soon, and for some reason, it was making his need for her worse than ever.

Even Brady had been sleeping around with a girl from school, mind he had an insane amount of control over his shifting that made the rest of them see red with envy. That kid was one lucky bastard.

And Seth had been seeing a girl he'd met in school too, though only a few times, because he didn't have as much control as Brady, and he wasn't afraid; it was enough to keep him happy.

Which left him and Collin as the only two who weren't, well, sexually active, and though Collin didn't seem to mind living vicariously through the others, Embry was having a much harder time with it. And the entire pack, save for Leah, Brady, and Collin, had taken to teasing him relentlessly about it.

Last week, Jacob had even told him that his best friend had changed, and though it hadn't been in a bad way, it hadn't been in a good way either. And Embry knew that well enough. It hadn't helped that his mother had kicked him out. She still didn't know, didn't understand, and that was fine. Because why would he want her to know who he really was if she hadn't even tried to understand that something was wrong in the first place?

Embry knew that he wasn't the same person he'd been before the change, or even in the months after, and they knew that too. Though if they couldn't see in his head, they probably wouldn't have understood. But that didn't matter, and neither did their opinions of who he was. People changed over life, that was just how things worked. They'd get over it sooner or later.

..


	3. Chapter 3

**Sam's POV**

"Seth," Sam narrowed his eyes at the pup sitting on the floor. Embry had only been gone for two minutes before the boys had started fidgeting and making up stupid excuses as to why they suddenly had to leave. He could smell their excitement and nervousness. "

"Saaaammmm," Seth sang sweetly and leaned back on his arms.

"What do you two really have to do? And don't repeat "homework" because I know that's a bullshit lie."

Seth smiled at the Beta and locked eyes with him.

Sam leaned forward slightly. Who the hell did this pup think he was? Did he really think he'd win? Seth gulped and squirmed again, and after a few more seconds finally broke contact, earning him a sly grin from the Beta.

"Ugh fine," Seth pulled the phone out of his pocket. "We're going to find out who call Embry's been ignoring!" he explained cheerfully.

Sam rolled his eyes. Were these two really that impatient? They couldn't just wait and ask him later, knowing they'd find out eventually? Especially considering Jake was bound to ask, and Embry would tell him, as his best friend always did.

Quil leaned forward in his arms and watched his friend's movements like a puppy eyeing a steak. Sam watched them both with a look of disapproval as Seth called back the number and put it on speaker, not bothering to stop them. Embry would kick their ass later if Jacob didn't do it for him. Being best friends with the Alpha sure had its fucking privileges.

"Hello?" a young woman's voice came from the other line. Sam couldn't help but think that it was a rather beautiful voice. Normally when he heard recordings of his own, it was awful, but that kind of voice was the kind of voice that made a man want to get down on their knees. Like Emily.

Emily. Thinking of her made him sigh.

He couldn't wait for her to get home.

"Hello, this is Embry's phone," Seth drawled cheerfully. "My name is Seth, and I'm here with my good friend Quil. And we were just wondering; why it is that Embry's been ignoring your calls the past few days?"

"Seriously?" The girl asked sharply.

"Seriously," Seth said pointedly. Quil snickered at him.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Um, unfortunately not," Quil explained, scrunching his nose as he did. "But-"

"I'm sorry, who the hell is this again?"

The boys both repeated their names at the same time.

"So he's avoiding me huh? I've only called him twice since I got back last week. Jesus-fucking-christ; Pops was right! That boy really does think he can walk on water nowadays, doesn't he?" The girl paused for a moment, then sighed deeply. "I don't have time for this."

Sam laughed at the look on the boy's faces when the girl hung up. Seth tried to call the number back again, but it went straight to voicemail as if she'd blocked the call.

"Well," Sam chirped before leaving the room. "That went well for the two of you. I look forward to watching Embry beat your asses later."


	4. Chapter 4

**Embry's POV**

"Happy birthday Paauuuul, happy birthday to you!"

"And many moreee," Quil began to sing but was stopped when Seth pushed him off his stool. Claire giggled in her seat next to him cheerfully.

Embry sighed and watched the group start to dig into the slices that Rachel was handing out. Paul and Jared were both borderline drunk and having the times of their lives. Sam had been nursing his drink. He'd been drinking too, but not nearly enough. Jake was grinning as he and Leah spoke in the corner quietly, and Embry felt a surge of jealousy course through his veins.

It was stupid, he knew that, to get jealous of Leah and Jacob's friendship. It was like getting jealous of Quil and Jake's friendship. But Leah got away with hell and back; disappearing whenever she wanted, not shifting for pack meetings when they were called.

Yet Embry was being scolded left and right for his "newly-found attitude."

It was hypocrisy, and he was over it.

Another bottle was pushed in front of him by Emily, who smiled at him sweetly before walking over to Sam and placing another in front of him.

Embry nodded to her, knowing that Sam would start a fight if he didn't, and the last thing they needed was a fight. It was kind enough that the bar let them back the back room on a Saturday night, and considering him and Jake were both drinking underage, all hell would break loose.

"Hey man," Embry looked up to find Jake placing his hand on his shoulder. That had become a habit recently; as if he were older and wiser. "I'm getting out of here. Promise me you'll try to have a little fun with the guys, yeah? You have more control than you think, one night of letting loose a little would be good for you."

Embry shrugged him off. Jake knew that it would be better if he stuck around, but he wouldn't. Not with Renesmee waiting in Forks for him.

Jake sighed and leaned down to speak quietly in his ear, though the rest of the pack could hear the words he spoke, their family couldn't.

"Just try not to bring everyone else down, brother."

"Leave him be Jake," Leah whispered. "I like the new Embry." She sent him a wink, and Embry forced himself to smile weakly at her before taking a long sip of his beer.

..

The hour after Jake left went by in a blur, and many, many drinks later, Embry was finally feeling the effects of it.

"I want to dance!" Kim pleaded, begging them to go to the club down the street and pulling Jared and Emily at the same time. Emily grinned and Sam began to follow. The younger pups had gone home with Leah to play video games, and Quil had already taken Claire home to her parents.

Paul grinned but shook his head. He hated dancing, everyone knew that. But if Rachel asked him to dance, he would. This is what Paul got for choosing the one place just outside of La Push that was down the street from a club that is packed on a Saturday night.

Embry started to tell them he was going to make his way home, but something in the back of his mind told him to stay.

Maybe it was Jake's sad eyes when he'd told him to not bring anyone else down, or perhaps it was the alcohol. Whatever it was, he supposed another hour wouldn't hurt him. It was only nine, still early.

He sighed and offered to hold the girl's purses under his breath, earning him a slap on the shoulder from Jared and bear-hug from Paul. Kim kissed him on the cheek, and Jared pulled her away playfully, but with narrowed eyes.

Embry barely remembered walking to the club, or entering it, or walking to the balcony where he could see the entire dance-floor below. But once he was there and Emily was handing him a drink and thanking him, the effect of the booze was starting to wear off. That was the gift of healing so quickly, if he didn't keep drinking, alcohol's effect wouldn't last.

He sighed and placed the drink on the table, watching Emily wander off cheerfully down the stairs and toward their friend. Paul was dancing with Rachel, just as Embry knew he would.

"Hi," Embry turned to see that a girl had wandered up to his table. He took a deep breath, preparing himself as he noted her sway and the look on the girl's faces that were watching from the bar a short distance away.

"I just, I just was- I was wondering," the girl said, a grin covering her face as she leaned against the table. "If maybe you wanted to dance with us."

The girls from the bar began to giggle, and he politely told her no thank you.

"Oh but pleaseeee?" the girl leaned forward, her cleavage jumped out at him as he shirt fell forward. She puckered out her lips in a pout, and Embry had to force his gaze to stay on her face. He hated girls like this. The ones who had low esteem and thought to make up for it through showing their skin and acting in a way that made it seem as if she was asking for it. And she was asking for it, and the wrong sort of guys would take advantage of it, and it pissed him off beyond belief. He wasn't that guy, and he wished no guy was.

"I don't dance," he explained mildly. "I'm just watching my friend's bags."

"Oh," the girl looked upset, and for a moment, he wanted to dance with her just to cheer her up, and wondered for only a split second if Jake was right. Maybe he needed to loosen up a bit.

But seriously, Embry didn't know how the others managed it, being in a stuffy room like this for too long. The smells of sweat and booze mixed and it was unbelievably strong, especially against the girls wearing perfume like the pouty-faced one was, and he could smell the oil that the ken-doll bar-tender had smeared all over his body from across the room.

He watched the girl walk away and ignored the glances from the other drunk girls, turning when he smelt Sam coming his way. He glanced down to see that Paul was still dancing with Rachel, and had apparently sobered up significantly, as they all did quickly, but Emily and Kim had started dancing on their own. He assumed Jared had gone to the bathroom or to get another drink.

"Why didn't you just dance with her, man?" Sam asked him quietly. "Just loosen up a little." He shook his head before sitting at the table across from him and leaning over the edge.

Embry ignored him, and the thoughts he'd had only a moment ago that maybe he needed to, and turned his gaze to the crowd again. After a minute of watching, Jared sauntered up to their table and leaned over Sam to check on Kim.

"Paul's having fun!" Jared grinned.

Embry nodded to him and finished the rest of his drink in one swig. He stood and pulled his jacket off the chair, earning him a disappointed look from his friends.

"I thought Jake told you to try to have fun?" Jared asked. "You're clearly not even trying."

Embry shrugged and leaned forward to tell them he'd see them tomorrow, but stopped when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. And that something, though familiar, was making his entire world spin.

He heard the word's Seth had spoken the day before so clearly, in his ears it made him whimper.

" _It can happen at any time. Even if he's met them before. There is no avoiding it_."

" _Even if he's met them before._ "

" _Even if he's met them before._ "

" _Even if he's met them before._ "

It felt like a punch to the gut, and then some.

"Holy shit!" Jared and Sam both jumped up at once and moved around the table, holding Embry up as he stared down at the crowd. Their eyes scanned the room, trying to follow their brother's gaze, but they couldn't.

After a moment, Embry lost sight of her and fell off his stool, leaning back against the railing for balance. The room was spinning, and he knew that the two were both talking, but whatever they were saying wasn't making any sense. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, fighting the intense urge to shift as the two started to drag him away from the table.

Embry opened his eyes to see that Paul was with them now, but the girls were nowhere to be seen.

"What if she's from out of town?" Jared asked though it didn't seem to be toward anyone in particular.

Embry shook his head.

"Which one Embry?" Paul demanded, his voice feigning re-assurance. "You gotta help us out man, tell us which one so the girls can talk to her and get you guys introduced."

They quickly led him down the stairs and out a side door and into an alley where people were smoking. Jared and Sam both coughed as they drug their friend down the alleyway and stopped just before it turned on to the street.

When they finally let him go, Embry leaned against the wall and put his hands on his knees.

"Dude," Paul leaned forward and spoke to him quietly. "We get it, all three of us know what it's like, and how hard it is to focus, but you've got to right now."

"Paul's right," Sam smiled at them knowingly. "You've got to go and talk to her. She's your imprint, man." He said the last part so cheerfully Embry wanted to throw himself on the ground.

"Or him?" Jared teased, making Embry scoff and the others laugh.

"Embry?" Sam urged.

Embry shook his head, "just, give me a second, alright?"

He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. The second he did though, all she saw was her. But not her, how he remembered her because he hadn't actually seen her since she was, what, eleven? And he'd been just shy of twelve?

His eyes snapped open when he heard the door of the alleyway open again. His mind thought only for an instant how convenient the timing was as a blonde girl in black boots, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket came out laughing with two others at her side. But Embry didn't bother looking at the others because he was too caught up in the sight of her.

She was nothing like he remembered, and that laugh, well that laugh was quite possibly the most mesmerizing thing that he'd ever heard. It sent shivers down his spine.

"That one?" Jared whispered to him with wide eyes. The look told Embry precisely what he'd thought only seconds before; the girl he once knew, once had a chance with, was now, as an adult, way out of his league.

The blonde walked backward for a moment, then leaned down and grabbed her phone from the side of her black boot, making Embry cringe as her jeans tightened in all the right places when she did.

"Embry?" Paul urged this time his voice louder.

The girl snapped her attention around when she heard the name, and a wicked smirk covered her face when she caught Embry's eye.

He had to force himself not to gasp when he took in her bright green eyes. The ones that were still the same, but they were somehow different.

The mischievous glint in them made him want to pin her against the wall and the thick coloring reminded him of the forest he loved running through. He could smell her scent from here; a mix of coconut and pine. His two favorite scents.

"Well, well, well," she closed the short distance between them and stopped with a cock of her foot and a tilt of her head only feet away. The smirk was still plastered on her face as she spoke, her voice a poisonous melody on her lips. "If it isn't Mr. Embry Call. Fancy meeting you here pretty-boy."

The piercing on her tongue caught against the light as she spoke, emphasizing each word. He took note of the other piercings in her nose and on her raised eyebrow. Embry loved piercings; he'd had a few in his ear before he'd change. Now he healed too quickly for them. He wondered if she had any tattoos, and hoped that she did.

"Lysandra," he nodded firmly, his voice came out meek, and quiet. He wished one of his brothers would punch him, or smack him out of it. Instead, they watched with amusement.

"You know each other?" Sam folded his arms, a grin on his face.

"Yes, we do," she didn't remove her gaze from Embry's as she spoke, and he knew that the second she did, he'd probably fall apart. "Embry and I used to be, well friends I suppose." She explained with amusement.

Embry watched her lips as she spoke, remembering his first kiss, and his second had been with her nearly eight years ago.

"My parents made him babysit my baby brother and I as kids, despite him only being a year older than me."

Her gaze turned thoughtful for a moment, which snapped him out of his haze. He shook his head and stood straighter, but still leaned back against the wall for support.

"Your daddy never paid me though, despite his promises to," he explained with a weak smile. His voice was louder this time, but it wasn't strong, as it usually was. Her father had died only months after the two of them had kissed, and her mother left town shortly after.

Lysandra snorted, her nose scrunching as she did. "Then you got the short end of the stick, pretty boy. I was nothing but trouble."

"Something tells me you still are," Paul said under his breath so she couldn't hear. But the wolves could, and Embry's brothers laughed at him. And of course, they would laugh; they'd been waiting for far too long for Embry, and any of the others, to imprint, despite Billy's insistence that it was a "rare occurrence."

Obviously fucking not.

Embry watched her carefully as her phone began to ring, the loud electric guitar noises echoing in the alleyway.

The grin on her face grew, and her eyes widened as she answered it.

"Hey hot-shot," she drawled. "What are you wearing."

Embry observed her carefully alongside his brothers as she spoke into the phone, and the masculine voice on end ripped his soul apart with jealousy, making Sam take a step toward him, almost between him and his imprint.

"You, nasty, bitch," the voice said. "Where are you? I have to tell you about this chick I met earlier."

"At that stupid club outside La Push I told you about, you'll never guess who I'm talking to," she watched Embry with teasing eyes as she spoke.

"An Elvis impersonator?" the voice asked lightly.

"Embry Call," she said simply.

The voice on the other end of the line snorted in a similar fashion that Lysandra had only moments ago, though much broader and mixed with a sort of growl that reminded Embry far too much of his brothers. He narrowed his eyes.

"Did you ask that dickhead why the hell he hasn't called you back yet?" the voice asked.

Embry sucked in a breath as Sam put his hand on his upper arm in attempt to calm him.

Lysandra moved her hand up to cover the bottom of her phone and tilted it to the side. "Baby brother wants to know why you haven't called me back?"

Embry leaned his head back and Sam's hand disappeared. Her baby brother; Laurence. The kid was only a few years younger than them, and by now had to be; sixteen?

"Because I'm an idiot?" he said lightly.

Lysandra seemed to like that answer because her eyebrows raised before she turned to the phone again. "He said he's an idiot."

"Damn fucking right he is. Tell him he can make it up to me if he babysits you again," Laurence joked suggestively. "Pops said he's nice and bulky nowadays, like he does cross-fit, like me!"

Lysandra rolled her eyes, as questioning why Embry would ever need to make something up to her brother, rather than her. It was clear that the two siblings were just as close as they were as children, if not closer.

"Not going to tell him that. Plus, he says dad never paid him," Lysandra mused, looking to the ground.

"I don't plan on paying him either," Laurence explained, his voice turning suggestive once again. "You'd be the one paying him if you catch my drift."

Lysandra nodded knowingly, "ah." She covered the phone again and looked back to Embry. "Laurence wants to know if you've ever dabbled in prostitution? He's asking for a friend."

A roar of laughter came from the other line and Lysandra laughed with him to herself.

"No, but let's just be serious for just a second, mkay pretty-lady?" Laurence spoke again a few seconds later, his voice turning rough. "Don't give that asshole any more of your time Lys. You heard Pops when he also said that kid and his little buddies think their shit doesn't smell? He's only talking to you because he realized that puberty was unbelievably good to you and probably wants a taste of the very thing he's been denied being stuck in fucking bum-fuck La Push his entire god-dammed life."

Embry continued to watch her carefully, ignoring the three men around him tensing. The comment was too personal, and they definitely wouldn't take well to some stupid kid talking about their brothers or their town like that. He took note of the way that her eyes glistened sadly for a split second as she turned away to see her friends waiving her back inside.

"I'm serious Lys," Laurence said, his voice distant as if he'd put her on speaker. "Don't waste your time. You're better than that, haven't you learned that by now? Promise me"

Lysandra nodded, not realizing that Embry and his brothers could hear every word he was saying.

"I won't," she nodded again.

Laurence grunted on the phone.

"I promise, now I have to go," she told her brother. "I'll call you when I get home and check on Pops."

"I MISS YOU!" Laurence yelled into the phone.

Lysandra chuckled, "I miss you too baby-boo."

"Awweee," Laurence hummed. "By big-boo!"

When she hung up the phone, she slipped it back into her boot and called back to her friends, who were done smoking. "I'm coming with you."

The two walked into the club slowly, the man holding the door for her and waiting.

She turned back to Embry and nodded to him with the mischievous grin back on her face. "I'll see you around pretty-boy," she said walking backward, hands in the pocket of her leather jacket.

"Embry's-Cross-Fit-Buddies, it was very, nice to meet you," she said sarcastically and nodded to each of them before turning on her heel and disappearing behind the door of the club.

"Who was that?" the guy asked her.

Embry watched the empty space where she'd just been as she spoke, hoping for anything but the answer he had a feeling she was going to give him.

"No one," Lysandra explained. "At least no one important."

All three of the men beside him sucked in a breath and tensed once again.

" _No one. No one important._ "

Embry's imprint had just said that he wasn't important. The girl that just became the center of his entire existence, just as he had always feared, thought that he was no one.

" _No one. No one important._ "

 _"No one."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Embry's POV**

It was late, and though he'd wanted nothing more than to shift to his wolf form after following Lysandra home in Jared's truck, he didn't. Instead, Embry went to Sam's house, like Jake had asked him to.

"She's gorgeous man," Jake put his hand on Embry's shoulder before sitting down at the table next to him. "Paul and Jared showed me what happened."

Embry nodded grimly. More than gorgeous; out-of-his-league-gorgeous, just as she had been way back when.

"You know her, right? I felt like I did too. What was her name again? Lysandra?" Jake pondered. "Hmm. Wait, Lysandra as in your first kiss-Lysandra? Geo's granddaughter?"

"Whoa, wait! First kiss?" Seth leaned forward with a grin. Only Seth could get away with being out past one in the morning, the other younger members of the pack definitely couldn't. "Dad just told me yesterday that Geo's granddaughter just moved back here from California to take care of him! He has cancer I guess, just like her dad did."

"Really?" Sam pondered, Emily put her hand on her husband's shoulder and sighed sadly before placing the dish of cookies on the table in front of them.

"I heard Geo was going to lose the house too," Seth added. "And she moved in with him instead of letting him stay at the hospital, so she must be doing something about the rent and medical bills."

"Yeah, dad told me about that too, in passing of course." Jake nodded. "I can't believe it's the same girl Emb. And your first kiss; guess you knew you'd love her way back then huh? Congrats man."

Embry listened intently, his thoughts running wild.

He hadn't spoken to his old friend, no, imprint, for years, nor her grandfather. But he remembered when her father died when they were children, and how hard it had been on them all. And now she and her brother had to watch her grandfather go through it again too? He wondered where her brother was, and how her mother was. He felt an urge to know everything about her, but he'd ruined that by ignoring her.

"And that was the girl we called the other day?" Seth added. "She seems feisty."

Embry shot him a glare. She only reason he hadn't ripped Seth and Quil apart for taking his phone was because Jake had told them to leave them be. So he had, but he was still mad.

"Why were you avoiding her?" Seth continued. "We were going to ask you but you never shifted after."

Jake leaned forward and grabbed another cookie off the table. "The same reason I avoided Bella at first." His voice was quiet, "and the same reason he didn't tell his mother."

The others nodded, and Sam glanced back at his wife, who was doing dishes at the counter and humming to herself. Her face was proof of how strong they could be, how dangerous. Nothing was worse than putting the ones you cared about in danger.

"Forget what she said to her friend. She's your imprint Emb; call her," Jake urged.

Embry shook his head.

First off, it was past one in the morning, and second, he wasn't even going to try the next day. He planned to watch her carefully, but from a distance; he needed time. Though that wasn't going to be easy.

His stomach felt like a rock, and the pulling sensation he had when he closed his eyes was nearly unbearable. All he could think about was her shiny blonde hair, perfectly tanned skin, and that damn smirk he'd wanted to kiss off her face.

They would understand after the meeting later; the one thing he remembered about Lysandra was that she was headstrong and independent. And she sure as hell wasn't the type to let people treat her the way he had.

That's why he was "no one." He'd gone so long without talking to her; after she moved away, it was like she hadn't even existed. And it didn't matter that he'd ignored her calls once she was back to protect her, and Seth had told her that he'd ignored her, even if it was only a few calls, but she hadn't known why.

He knew deep down that Lysandra wasn't going to give him the time of day.

"Dad said that imprints go both ways man," Jake said slowly as if reading his thoughts.

Embry shot his best friend a glare; Jake was twisting his father's words in his favor.

"Okay, so no he didn't," Jake agreed. "But there has never been a situation where it hasn't in Quileute history.

"It's also supposed to be rare," Embry muttered.

The others smiled at him. Six of them had imprinted so far, and the ones who had, wanted nothing more than to do the very same. Even the pups. Even Leah.

"You won't be able to stay away for long man," Jake explained. "She's involved now, no matter how much you don't want her to be in the line of danger. If you try to fight it, the need to be around her will just get worse. Whether it's as friends, or more-which you should probably try, because seriously-"

Jake made a face that insinuated that she was something special. Though that could have been Embry filling in the empty space with his own thoughts.

"You'll want to be around her, all the time. No, not want, need. You'll NEED to be around her. You'll NEED to know where she is at all times. You'll NEED to know everything about her. When she's happy, your entire world will hum and your body will feel like it's on fire with bliss. And when she's angry or sad you'll end up doing everything in your power to fix it, even if that means doing something stupid," Jake trailed off, realizing he was rambling and staring off into space. Clearly, he was thinking about his own imprint.

Sam sighed and stood from the table, then walked over to his wife and put his arms around her as she finished the dishes. Embry watched him kiss her on the head and felt a surge of jealousy.

What if Lysandra really didn't want him? What if she hadn't been lying when she had told her friend that she was no one? Her brother's word clearly meant more than it should.

"Just call her," Jake said again. "Actually, I'm ordering you to call her tomorrow. Sam will order you too. You can't say no to us."

Embry watched his best friend with sad eyes and nodded to him before standing.

It was late, and he needed to sleep before their meeting in a few hours.

He didn't bother speaking to them as he left and hopped into Jared's truck, Lysandra's voice still ringing in his ears.

" _No one. No one important._ "

" _No one. No one important._ "

" _No one._ "

..


	6. Chapter 6

Embry leaned against the kitchen counter and brought the phone to his ear with a sigh, ignoring the whispers from Sam's living room. He knew they were listening. The entire fucking pack had shown up at Sam's house insisting he call her.

Even Jacob.

And Jacob had ordered him to call her, so here he was, calling.

In all honesty, he had been planning to call her anyways. Over, and over, and over again, until she was forced to either pick up or block his number. She wouldn't want to know what he would do if she did that though.

Thankfully, he didn't have to, because to his surprise and delight, Lysandra answered on the first ring. He let out a sigh of relief and slid slowly against the counter until he was sitting on the ground.

After a few seconds, his heart lurched to his throat the second he heard her smooth voice drawl through the phone line.

"Hey pretty-boy, what are you wearing?"

Embry grinned to himself as he heard a loud thump and a roar of laughter from the other room. Eavesdropping asses.

"Do you always answer your phone like that?" Embry asked. He cleared his throat once he realized how much it had deepened as he'd spoken.

Lysandra snorted, and a thrill shot down his spine again. How could such a sound make him feel like a puddle of fucking gush?

"You didn't answer my question, why should I answer yours?" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"I feel like I'm wearing too much clothing to warrant an answer, honestly," he explained.

Lysandra laughed on the other end, and the noise was even better than the un-lady like snort she'd made before. Embry closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the ceiling, imagining how she would look while she laughed.

"Fine, better question; why are you calling me?" Lysandra asked. Her tone was still light, but Embry could tell she was annoyed. "You already admitted to ignoring my calls. What gives?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you," Embry shrugged to himself. He earned nothing but silence. After at least half a minute, he finally spoke again.

"About what?"

"Anything," he admitted.

"Anything?" she repeated.

"Anything," he confirmed, nodding his head, knowing she couldn't see. "Everything."

"Everything?" she pondered. "Everything, seems like a lot talking to someone you haven't seen or spoken to in a million years, dontcha think?"

"I saw you last night," he said pointedly. "And spoke to you."

"THAT BETTER NOT BE THAT BOY!"

Embry's eyes snapped open when he heard the old man's voice in the background. He heard a slight rustle and assumed she was covering the microphone on her phone, not knowing it wouldn't help much. His hearing was beyond phenomenal. So was the packs, and they probably heard the old man on the other end as well.

"I heard you promise your brother this morning you wouldn't try calling him again," the old man spoke again, his voice teasing, but authoritative.

"I didn't call him," Lysandra said pointedly. "He called me."

"Hmph," he old man grunted.

"I didn't!" she hissed.

"Lysandra," Embry gulped. He couldn't let her family stop her from seeing him, not now; not after she'd answered on the first ring like she'd been expecting his call.

"Embry," she said sweetly to the phone.

"Would you like to get coffee with me later today?" he asked her, thankful his voice hadn't shaken.

"COFFEE? OF ALL THE THINGS HE COULD ASK HER TO DO, AND HE CHOOSES COFEE?" Embry heard Seth yell from the other room.

"I think it's a good idea, all things considered," Jacob chirped.

Embry growled toward the living room, and it went silent.

"Coffee, huh?" Lysandra hummed.

"Don't do it little-lady," her grandfather spoke again. Embry couldn't help but think of her father, and how similar the two of them sounded. "Your baby brother will be very upset with you."

Lysandra sighed into the phone.

Embry closed his eyes, his heart thumping in his chest so loudly he knew the others could likely hear it.

"Please?" he tried to force his voice not to sound desperate but knew he wasn't succeeding. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about before. I sometimes get caught up with the, um," it probably wasn't a good idea to mention the pack yet "-my friends and their lives. Probably why the pups decided to call you back for me." He joked. "It would be really nice to catch up Lys; we used to be close." He let his voice trail off as he closed his eyes again.

"Pups?" She asked interestedly. "Hmm. And Lys? Already back to that huh?"

Emrby didn't know how to respond."

"Here's a better idea pretty-boy," Lysandra drawled.

Embry's heart caught in his throat. She was about to turn him down again, he just knew it.

Her voice from the night before rang through his head.

 _"No one. No one important."_

Her response however, surprised him.

"I'm about to start renovations on pop's house so that he doesn't have to hobble his crippled ass up the stairs now that he's on his old-man-walker."

Embry heard a chuckle from her grandfather and a thump; he opened his eyes to see that Jacob was in the kitchen now, standing across the room and leaning against the doorframe, a curious look on his face, as if he was concerned that she was about to shoot his best friend down again.

She hissed, and he heard her hand move as she covered the phone again.

"Pops cut it out-"

"Anyways," she continued after a few seconds. "I need help knocking down a wall or two, and I don't feel like paying that asshole Mickey to do it when I'm already paying his sorry ass to start the plumbing for me next week-"

"I'll do it," Embry didn't hesitate with his answer. The relief he felt at thinking about being in her house, helping her, helping her father, made him feel like he was swimming in gold. And the thought of Mickey McPherson's slimy hands in her house, near her, made his skin crawl and a deep-rooted anger make itself home in his soul. "All of it. No need for Mickey to even help with anything actually."

"Oh, so you're a plumber now? Here I thought you worked at Linda's bookstore," Lysandra teased.

"No, but I have a friend who is, and I'm sure he'd be willing to help me out," Embry explained. Jared's dad had been a contractor; surely if Jared didn't know what to do, he could convince his old man too? "Wait- how did you know I worked at Linda's bookstore?"

"Is your friend actually good with plumbing?" Lysandra ignored his question, "because I know literally nothing about it, and something tells me that you don't either."

"Yes!" Embry watched as Jared leaned past Jacob, mock-whispering. "Yes, I do!"

"Yes," Embry confirmed and shot his friend a thankful smile. "Yes, he does.

"Hmmph, alright," Lysandra said lightly.

"If he's going to bring one friend along, tell him to bring the rest of them, and I'll order pizza for lunch," Embry heard the old man say.

"Pops-" Lysandra started.

"I need someone to dig up back and front yards so we can put the ramp in on both sides for when I'm in a wheelchair Lys," her grandfather explained lightly.

Embry felt his heart sink, knowing how hard it must be to watch him go through so much. Her father's illness had been quick, but the last two months of his life had been horrid.

"And the attic and the office are a mess from when your grandmother was still here, despite you telling me otherwise. You think that just because I can't go up there and see for myself, I don't know? I can tell when you lie little girl. If that boy wants your attention, he can work for it, like a real man."

Embry could tell by her sigh that her grandfather left no room for argument. Before she could tell him just that, he decided to speak up for himself.

"Jacob put his dad's ramp in; I'm sure he'd be more than willing to help me with it." Jacob nodded to him. "And the other guys would be willing to help too. I'll even help with the painting when the remodel is done."

Embry knew without a doubt that his pack would help him. And even if they wouldn't-which they would- then he'd figure out a way to do it all himself. He wasn't about to let her pay some other man to help her with things he was perfectly capable of figuring out. Plus, if her old man thought he needed to work for it, then he would.

And if this were what it took to spend time with her, then he'd do it. He'd do anything, really. He knew that deep within his soul. No questions asked.

"Seriously?" Lysandra asked, surprise ringing in her soft voice.

"Seriously," Embry confirmed, "I can be there in an hour. And, the guys, can be there,"

"Anytime," Jacob mouthed, while Jared nodded his head. Behind him, Seth was pushing past Jared mouthing to him the same thing.

"With me," Embry explained. "At," he lifted himself up to look at the oven's clock, "Ten? I'll bring coffee."

Lysandra snorted again, and Embry had told himself up against the counter because of the shiver it gave him.

"You sure about this pretty-boy?" Lysandra asked him. "Pops is quite the handful."

"I'm sure," Embry said confidentially. "As I said, it'll be nice catching up, even if he puts us to work."

"Yeah," she said, her voice sounding unsure. "Anyways, prepare yourself for a thunderstorm of attitude and bad language my old friend. Surely Pops will be on full blast with you lot around. And no need to bring coffee, I've got the espresso maker that Lysander bought me for my birthday last year."

"With your own money!" Embry heard her grandfather tease from the background.

Embry couldn't help but laugh and her groan of annoyance. "He sounds like a riot, actually."

"Don't let him fool you. He's the devil in disguise."

"Quit quoting Elvis little girl, or I'll put on my blue suede shoes and start dancin'," the old man teased her back.

Lysandra groaned again.

"I've got to go make sure he's not serious and ends up breaking his other hip," Lysandra explained lightly. He heard movement in the background as she moved. "If you don't show up later, no hard feelings, alright? I'm not about to expect you to help me remodel my Pops hou-"

"I'll be there," Embry promised, his voice more confident than he'd ever remembered speaking before. He felt every fiber of his being promise right along with him. "I promise."

"Alright pretty-boy, don't say I didn't warn you."

..

….


End file.
